Chapter 44: First Proposal (2)
Choi Wonyoung has an eighteen-year-old daughter in high school. And in just a short while, her daughter will die. This is because she was chosen as a Climber of Nightmare Difficulty when she was fifteen.
While only a few years of statistics have been gathered since the Tower appeared, there have been no official cases of anyone under the age of 14 being selected as a Climber. In other words, the minimum age requirement to be chosen as a Climber was 14. Like a cruel joke, his daughter was chosen as a Nightmare Climber on her 15th birthday.
Having suffered for years while receiving treatment for osteosarcoma at age 12, she had finally been cured. He thought miracles truly existed, but what awaited them afterward was an even worse Nightmare—just like the name of the Difficulty his daughter was assigned.
“It’s okay, Mom! I still have two more years to live. I have to pack a lifetime’s worth of fun into a super-compressed schedule until then, so I can play as much as I want without studying, right?”
His daughter, who was only a middle schooler at the time, spoke as if it weren’t even a minor concern. She was a naturally bright child, to the point that she never lost her smile even while undergoing harsh chemotherapy.
“Hmm? Mom… I told you, I’m really okay. Don’t cry.”
So, Choi Wonyoung also tried not to be sad. During the remaining Time, she had to build as many happy memories with her daughter as possible. Having lost her husband early, if her daughter left too, she would have no family left.
Happy times passed, and the end slowly approached. In a few weeks, her daughter would die. Upon death, she would become a Monster. To avoid becoming a Monster, one had to either enter the Tower or undergo euthanasia, leaving not even a corpse behind. Both the daughter and Choi Wonyoung chose the latter.
Even when all sorts of talented people challenged it after thorough preparation, it was a Difficulty where only about twenty people had succeeded. There was no possibility of a Nightmare Strategy Guide being successful. Even if there were a sliver of a chance… Choi Wonyoung could never accept her daughter dying painfully at the hands of Monsters.
– Only three days remain until the 20-day Nightmare deadline. While the whole world prays for the success of Person123…
Whether the world ended or not didn’t really register in her mind. The fact that her only precious daughter would soon die simply didn’t feel real. Still, she smiled in front of her daughter as if wearing a mask, because her daughter hadn’t lost her smile either.
That day, after suffering internally, she finally fell asleep only to wake up at dawn. As she approached the bedroom door, she heard the sound of sobbing. Opening the door quietly, she saw her daughter weeping under her breath.
“Ugh… hic… I’m scared, Mom… I don’t want to die…”
Choi Wonyoung eventually had no choice but to hug her daughter and break down, sobbing together.
One day before the 20-day Nightmare deadline. Now, she had to accept the farewell to her daughter. She smiled weakly while watching her daughter eat dinner. At that moment, Writing suddenly appeared before their eyes.
“…Huh?”
A message of unknown meaning appeared.
***
What on earth is happening? Just when I had finally composed my mind, this sudden curveball left my head in chaos. A proposal? From the Tower to me? Suddenly? What kind of trick is this…
What the Tower offered me in exchange was the nullification of the 3-year Rule.
[1. Physical Ability reduced by 50%]
[2. Skill cooldown Time increased by 2x]
[3. Three Random Skills banned from use]
[4. One highest-grade Skill banned from use]
[5. Item Ban]
It told me to pick one Penalty if I wanted it. The moment I saw it, my first thought was… Are you kidding me? That was it.
Halving my Physical Ability, doubling Skill cooldowns, banning three Random Skills, banning my Destruction Line, or an Item Ban. Not a single one of them wasn’t heavy. Above all, the fact that the Tower was making this kind of proposal to me was extremely suspicious and unsettling.
[The Penalty will only be maintained during the first attempt to complete the Strategy Guide for the 4th Floor.]
[If ‘Person123’ accepts the proposal, select a Penalty and enter.]
But seeing this guy go this far… does it really have a will after all? Is it not just some Machine-like system?
“Haaa…”
I scratched my head vigorously and looked at the options again. If—just if—I were to choose, what should I pick?
[1. Physical Ability reduced by 50%]
Let’s skip this for now.
[2. Skill cooldown Time increased by 2x]
As someone whose main focus is Magic, my Skill rotation speed would slow down by half. That’s fatal. Extremely fatal.
[3. Three Random Skills banned from use.]
If some useless common-grade Skill got picked, it wouldn’t even be much of a Penalty… but conversely, if my main Skills were hit in a row, it would be hell. It was just a gamble. And the “Random” part bothered me. What if the Tower rigs it?
[4. One highest-grade Skill banned from use]
This was synonymous with a ban on using Destruction Line. My incredibly powerful ultimate move. …I’m not sure. Considering the theme of the 4th Floor, would this be more fatal than the others?
[5. Item Ban]
Considering the theme of the 4th Floor, I could live with Diul being banned… but Fliya being banned was fatal. Even if I ignore all the other junk like the Ice Dagger.
Ah… I don’t know. Why are you suddenly giving me this ordeal? Should I even choose this? No matter how much I think about it, the answer is no. You want me to tackle an already insane Nightmare while carrying a Penalty?
I agonized with a distorted expression and then suddenly turned on the Communication Channel. But then.
“…?”
Seeing the Conversations coming up in the Communication Channel, I turned on the TV. Breaking News was playing.
– A message from the Tower has appeared to people all over the world. This unprecedented Incident where the Tower is making a proposal to Person123…
…Why is this a global announcement? It seemed like it was visible not just to Climbers, but to ordinary people as well. I was so dumbfounded that only a gasp escaped my mouth.
***
After the Tower issued the global announcement to Humanity.
The world went into an uproar. First, posts exploded on the Communication Channel.
The Tower making a proposal to a specific Climber was, of course, something that had never happened before. Nullifying the Tower’s 3-year Rule. In exchange, what Person123 had to accept was a Penalty. Public opinion on the Communication Channel quickly flowed in one direction.
Special broadcasts were urgently scheduled on News and media outlets worldwide. On a major USA cable news channel, panelists sat around a desk discussing the matter.
“The Tower has proposed a Penalty to Person123 in exchange for nullifying the 3-year Rule. What are your thoughts?”
“He must never, ever take it. Never. This is a trap,” a man wearing glasses said firmly with a stiff face. “The fact that the Tower singled out Person123 to offer a proposal is strange in itself. Just one day before he enters the 4th Floor. Its intention to interfere with his Strategy Guide is blatantly obvious.”
The others nodded as if in agreement.
“It seems clear in the current situation that the Tower intends to obstruct Person123’s Strategy Guide. He has no reason to follow the Tower’s intent.”
“Even without this, how much would the success rate drop if he enters the horrific Nightmare Difficulty with an added Penalty?”
“It’s unfortunate, but the survival of Humanity is at stake. No one can blame him for not choosing a Penalty. It’s only natural to prioritize Humanity as a whole.”
The vast majority of people naturally hoped that Person123 would not select a Penalty. A 4th Floor Conquest Failed would mean the end of Humanity, and a Penalty would drastically increase that probability. With the lives of 8 billion humans at stake, there was no room for sentimentality.
“…Please select a Penalty! I beg of you! Please!”
Those who wanted the Penalty to be chosen were a very small minority. They were the Nightmare Climbers facing imminent death, or their families and acquaintances. They rushed into the streets to hold small rallies and screamed at the top of their lungs, hoping that Person123—whose identity and location were unknown—would hear them.
“Are you people crazy?!”
“If he picks a Penalty, the world will end! You shouldn’t act so selfishly!”
Scenes of passersby cursing at them also unfolded.
A stormy 24 hours passed, and the 20-day deadline drew near. All that remained was Person123’s choice.
***
I agonized and agonized for a day. Actually, the conclusion had been reached long ago.
‘Let’s not choose.’
I shouldn’t pick a Penalty. That was the obvious choice. Adding a Penalty to a Nightmare Difficulty where success isn’t guaranteed even with full preparation? It wasn’t the act of a sane person.
Had I already forgotten the 3rd Floor? How many times I almost died there. The 4th Floor was likely to be even tougher than the 3rd. For the sake of the world, choosing a Penalty was something I couldn’t do.
If I fail, Humanity is destroyed. Risking that to save a small number of people? It wasn’t even just a small number; it was a tiny fraction. Is it even a question of comparison when it’s 8 billion people versus tens or hundreds of thousands?
Of course, the Fallen Ones issue would be resolved. And it would prevent the risk of my own family members becoming Climbers by any chance.